Hillel Cancels Anti-Hate Event Ahead of PSA Terror March

Prospect of violence, hatred too great to justify Jewish presence on campus

Ahead of the planned march and rally on UCF’s campus today organized by the pro-Hamas Palestinian Student Association, Central Florida Hillel has postponed their planned “Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate” event.

The event, hosted by Florida Hillel groups since at least 2022, was scheduled for Wednesday prior to the pro-terror march being scheduled at the same time, in what can only be described as a very interesting coincidence. Police were notified once it became clear that UCF’s pro-Hamas student orgs would march on campus at the same time.

While the two events were not scheduled to take place at the same location, and UCF PSA put out a statement saying (among many things) that Jews had “nothing to fear” from them, we all know what to expect at this point. It should be noted specifically that Tulane’s PSA had called for a nonviolent protest prior to their attacking of Jews. Thus, the calls for nonviolence and “you have nothing to fear” language coming from UCF’s PSA should be interpreted as an attempt to lull UCF Jews into a false sense of security.

It is clear that Central Florida Hillel was not confident that it could keep campus Jews safe during this event, despite the planned police presence. This is a good reminder that simply having police present at pro-terror and pro-genocide events is not a substitute for penalizing death threats and violent rhetoric.

We will keep you posted on the situation at UCF. For today, Jews should avoid campus. If you must go, follow this guidance:

If you are confronted by a pro-Hamas individual or group, you should attempt to quickly move to a populated area and de-escalate the situation by refusing to discuss it. Place as much physical distance between yourself and the individual/group as possible. Do not, under any circumstances, engage with or confront pro-Hamas individuals or groups. The best case scenario is that you will be filmed and your words used as agitprop, increasing the risk of violence against Jews at UCF and potentially around the world. The worst case scenario is too grim to discuss. Call 9-1-1 immediately if you believe the situation is escalating dangerously, or if you believe your life is in danger.